cold + wet + 76 kilometers + 2,200 meters climbing + 5 hours = NeverStop

Posted by Michael Cannon on Jan 17, 2010 in Biking | 8 comments

It all started last October or so when a friend asked, “hey you want to enter a race around Yangming mountain.” Sure, I replied.

Looking back, I must’ve been smoking the ganga weed that day.

I didn’t know that I’d be ever so thankful for new winter biking clothes because of the cold, rain and ever present in your face wind.

Or, how I would mentally vaporize bikers who couldn’t decide whether they’re going to go fast or slow or where to ride in the traffic lane when climbing or descending.

Or, how I would yell at the the driver of an $ 80,000 dollar, road blocking Porsche Cayenne to move their arse so I could go faster down the Jinshan-金山 side of Yangjin Highway-陽金公路.

Or, how my frozen fingers and knees would cause me to ride wide into mud, almost hit concrete barriers and come very close to flying off the side of the hill when I couldn’t control my braking on a slick hairpin turn in coming down Fonggueizuei-風貴嘴.

Or, how cold, dripping wet and bombed out I would feel coming up the last few hundred vertical meters to the finish line at Lengshueikeng-冷水坑. That road had more turns into hills than any I’ve ever ridden before.

It. Was. Demoralizing.

Of course, we can’t forget the 20-something kid that literally drove into me while turning right. Boy did I have a few choice words for him after keeping myself upright, coming to a stop, turning around and glaring at him while yelling. I even have a keepsake of the cars silver paint on my left shoe.

Still, despite the suck, this was a fun, mentally and physically challenging ride made just under my 5 hour goal for 76 kilometers and 2,200 meters of climbing with my friends… a bit behind me.